OK, apologies that the images are sideways, but the first reading was at around 6.7Ph as so
After adding 1ltr of the 2.3Ph it fell to just above 6.0
So i added another 600ml and it went down to 5.5
The point is, that from what i have learned so far, i cannot stress enough how important it is to not only wash, wash and wash again your clay pebbles, but also it is important to soak them for as long as you can. Preferably in a clear plastic tub.
I washed the majority of the 'dirt' off these pebbles about a month ago using the washing up bowls with holes in them (the one's i'm using as the top bowls in my setup) and a garden hose, but it was only after soaking them in a clear tub after that i realised they weren't actually clean at all. Just to let the water run clear through the bowls, or indeed a colander, (or cutting holes in the bottom of the bag of pebbles when you buy them, and running a hose through it as one of the Owd assclown mods on the UK version of this site recommended
) will NOT clean them properly.
The second thing i have learned is that to stabilise the Ph of the pebbles takes
over 24hrs. I read loads of posts saying to soak them for 24hrs, which is probably OK, but i read one singular post from a guy who said he soaked them for about 2-3 weeks while he was setting up his tent, and he had no Ph fluctuations at all during his grow. I have gone for somewhere in the middle, and i have to say, for the last 3-4 days i have noticed that the fluctuations in Ph have really calmed down a lot.
The next thing i intend to do is to remove the pebbles entirely from the external res and get rid of the 'silt' that seems to be settling in the bottom (which stays there when i use a hose to remove all the water when doing a change)
If i could give any advice from my limited experience so far, its to give ample time to prepare your pebbles. I personally don't think 24hrs is long enough to get them stable, so that in future they don't have an effect on the Ph of the res themselves, but we will see
And again, don't just poke holes in the bottom of the bag of pebbles and run a hose through it as some idiots i used to listen to advise, because it won't work.
N.b This is much more important for people like myself who are using about 50ltrs of clay pebbles in their grow, than those just using very few, and smaller pots. Each of my units takes over 10lrs of pebbles, and has a top dripper running through those pebbles into the res, so the pebbles themselves and their Ph is very important, But if you use only a few pebbles this may be immaterial
Cheers
gutted
